Lectures, Workshops, and Curated Dining
As a culinary historian, artist, and curator, I offer a range of immersive experiences that explore the fascinating intersections of food, art, history, and material culture. My programs are carefully researched, visually engaging, informative, and fun. They can be tailored for museums, historical societies, academic audiences, residential communities, and private groups.
Food and Ritual:
Art, Magick, and the Table
Throughout history, sharing food has been steeped in ritual, symbolism, and spiritual meaning. This lectures explores how food rituals have shaped artistic creativity, esoteric practices, and cultural identity — from ancient religious feasts to the magickal banquets of Victorian mage, Aleister Crowley. Enjoy a captivating journey through the Surrealist dinners of Salvador Dalí, the austerity of Pablo Picasso, and the coffee and milkshakes of David Lynch which leads you through the mystical, creative, and symbolic power of dining.
The Edible Canvas:
Art, Cafés, and Cuisine in 19th-Century Paris
Originally developed for The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and set against the vibrant backdrop of Paris after the Franco-Prussian War, this presentation explores how café culture, gastronomy, and the Impressionist art movement converged. Through the paintings of Caillebotte, Monet, and Manet, and the writings of Zola and de Goncourt, along with all their mutual friends, I trace how the dining table and bustling café became both subject and inspiration. We delve into the culture of absinthe, artistic innovations, and the sensory theater of food in art.
How British Silversmithing Forged the Modern Dinner Table
Why did Victorians use so many peculiar utensils? This lecture investigates the evolution of modern cutlery through the transformative impact of Old Sheffield Plate and the Industrial Revolution, revealing how advances in metalsmithing techniques and mass production reshaped dining rituals and democratized access to refined tableware. By examining forks, knives, and spoons as artifacts of material culture, the talk uncovers how technology and taste converged to reflect shifting class dynamics and cultural values from the 18th century, through the Belle Epoque, into the 21st century.
Food as Art:
From Apple to Zucchini
Based on my book, A Feast for the Eyes: Food Art from Apple to Zucchini, this presentation surveys the vast history of actual food as an art form. Audiences discover how artists across centuries have used food as a medium, muse, and metaphor. From Renaissance banquet to contemporary installations, the lecture chomps into how edible art reveals cultural attitudes toward beauty, power, desire, and consumption.
Oysters:
A Global History
Based on my book by the same name, this Oyster talk traces the remarkable culinary and cultural story of the oyster across time and continents. From ancient Roman feasts to New York’s famed red-light district—and its oyster saloons—we explore how this singular shellfish has influenced politics, art, warfare, and even sex.
The Banquet Curated:
Historical Dinners Brought to Life
Beyond lectures, I create immersive, historically inspired dining experiences where guests taste history. Past curated events include:
A Dickensian Victorian Christmas Feast (Isabella Beeton, 1861)
Ancient Roman Banquet (Apicius, 1st century)
Abby Fisher’s Southern Cooking (1881)
Surrealist Dining Experience (Les Dîners de Gala, Salvador Dalí, 1974)
San Francisco’s Gilded Age Dining (Sam’s Grill, est. 1867)
Berkeley Food Scene of the 1970s & 80s (with food journalist L. John Harris)
Potato Printing:
A Hands-On Culinary Art Workshop
In this immersive, interactive workshop, participants explore the playful world of potato printing — a simple technique rooted in both folk craft and contemporary design. Participants carve, print, and create their own edible-themed prints while learning about the long-standing relationship between food and artistic expression. Perfect for museums, art centers, and family-friendly programs.
Custom Programming Available
All lectures and workshops can be adapted for virtual or in-person formats. I also offer customized events, tastings, and exhibitions tailored to your organization's interests and audiences.
For bookings or inquiries, please contact me at carrie@carolyntillie.com
Past Events
Take a look at this year’s past events! Subscribe to get notified about similar upcoming experiences.
M.F.K. Fisher’s Last House
Bouverie Preserve, 4/21/25
Organized by Carolyn for the Bay Area Culinary Historians, this approximately one-hour tour will take you through M.F.K. Fisher's modest home where she spent the last 21 years of her life. Learn about Fisher's time in the Sonoma Valley, experience her special brand of simple elegance, and soak in the views she enjoyed from every angle.
Food as Ritual; Man, Magick, and His Meals
Half Moon Bay Odd Fellows Speaker Series, 6/19/25
Our lives are structured around eating and are reflected in the diverse food we eat. Food provides not only sustenance, but also a defining sense of culture and identity. Surrealist Salvador Dalí illustrated a cookbook with outrageous and beautiful food presentation ideas, Pablo Picasso liked to cook for his friends, and gastronomic habits of the world's most famous occultist, Aleister Crowley, are legendary. Carolyn Tillie will delve into rituals of food, which create and sustain our worldviews.
Tracy Johnston - The Spanish Cook Without Equal: My Adventures in Translating Encarnación Pinedo’s 1898 Cookbook
Organized by Bay Area Culinary Historians, 5/5/25
In 1898, Encarnación Pinedo published a cookbook, written in Spanish, and compiled from recipes she had gathered throughout her life in the San Jose area. It was the first cookbook published in the United States written by a Latina, and it represented the California Rancho culture she grew up in and inherited from her Berryessa ancestors. It is not just a cookbook but a historical document, a record made during the transition of California from the Rancho period through the Gold Rush and beyond. Further, it was written from the point-of-view of a woman, in a way that society accepted from women.
Salvador Dalì’s Les Dinners et Gala; Dinner and Presentation
VEFA Gallery in Torrance, 5/14/25
An evening gala event comprised of a cocktail and hors d’œuvres reception, followed by a five-course dinner; all foods taken from or inspired by Salvador Dalì's cookbook, Les Diners de Gala coupled with a presentation on Edible Art in the 20th Century (with emphasis on the Surrealist movement and Dalì himself).
Caillebotte et ses Copains: Art, Absinthe, and Café Culture
The Getty in Los Angeles, 5/10 and 5/11/25
Enter the world of Gustave Caillebotte and his close circle of friends; the Impressionist painters and noted authors who shaped the artistic and literary landscape of Paris in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War. Share in a delectable journey with culinary historian Carolyn Tillie as she presents a mouthwatering intersection of food and art. Learn how the foods eaten not only provided sustenance, but were also an integral part of social and artistic life, as well as inspiration captured on canvas. With a finely curated menu of period offerings, sit down for a scrumptious repast of cheeses, pâté, savories and sweets, along with a selection of classic French wines. Fuel your own creativity with a special demonstration of the ritual preparation of and tasting of Absinthe.